[Terrapreta] Biofueles & terra preta

[Sean K. Barry]

Hi Michael,

The results may well trigger a rethink by the IPCC, says Smith. 'Should we go along the road of adding up the experimental evidence for each of the processes or are we better off using the global numbers?'

I think it is very important for the IPCC to use global numbers, so that the global trends can be understood.  If you were doing experiments inside a large terrarium you might easilly see differences in measurements from different areas inside of that terrarium.  The Earth's Biosphere (which includes the entire atmosphere) is no different than a very large terrarium.   Looking at numerous individual experimental results is not going to help either, unless the weight of their individual effects against the global atmosphere could be gauged accurately.  This paper would be a fascinating read.

I think there is a way to interpret these results and not throw biofuels out, though.  It points out quite clearly (even just this article) that agribusiness as usual, used in the production of biofuels, is no panacea.  We could learn that we need to change the way we are growing plants, or what we are growing maybe.  Use less or no industrial fertilizers to grow biofuel crops?  Maybe change the biofuel crops over to nitrogen fixing oily legumes (like soybeans)?  The article did not mention soybens, which are the primary biodiesel feedstock in the USA.

I believe Adrian Downey said that they thought there was evidence developing in their Terra Preta research that N2O emission from TP soil were reduced compared to the same soils without the charcoal enhancement.  Maybe growing biofuel crops on TP soils will show this improvement also?

Currently almost all industrial biofuel production is done via biochemical conversion of sugars into ethanol and oils into methyl esters (diesel through trans-esterification).  These processes require specific biochemical aspects of the feedstock.   There are methods to convert biomass feedstocks of any type into synthesis gas via the thermo-chemical conversion process of pyrolysis.  The Fischer-Tropsch process is a long developed method to convert synthesis gas into synthetic fuels.  Those two, Dr. Fischer and Dr. Tropsch did this back in WWII for the German military.  They had devices that could convert the forest trees in the Black Forest into liquid fuels for the service of the military during the war.  There is a company in Iowa, Colorado, and California, USA, Rentech, which is making synthetic diesel now, through Fischer Tropsch conversion of synthesis gas got from reforming coal.  Coal is not the only source of synthesis gas.

There are many types of potentially usable transport fuels that can be converted from biomass via thermo-chemical processes; Hydrogen gas, alcohols, synthetic diesel, and synthetic gasoline.  Any of these fuels or even raw synthesis gas/producer gas can be used to run generators producing electricity.  Electric powered vehicles will be in our future, too!  There are many petrochemical substitutes that can be harvested from biomass feedstock.  

Using thermo-chemical processes rather then biochemical processes, charcoal for Terra Preta soil formation and liquid transport fuels can be made at the same time.  The feedstock could be any agricultural wastes or any plant materials for that matter.  The supply of that feedstock would not require any increase in industrial fertilizer use.  Some feedstock could be supplied from biomass that never used and never will use industrial fertilizer.

I can recognize that the production and use biomass energy sources can lead to potential environmental problems, especially if the production of the feedstock is done badly.  I do think that the current biochemical methods and the required higher energy density sugar and oil crops that are currently the preferred feedstock for this industry is DONE BADLY.  There are different and better ways to do this, I think.  Pyrolysis of nonspecific, quickly renewable, biomass is one proposal that I think merits more intense consideration.

Regards,

SKB

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Michael Bailes<mailto:michaelangelica at gmail.com> 
  To: Terrapreta<mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org> 
  Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2007 6:53 AM
  Subject: [Terrapreta] Biofueles & terra preta


  Agrichar<http://geo-engineering.blogspot.com/2007/10/agrichar.html>
  By Sam Carana(Sam Carana) 
  Biofuels could boost global warming, finds studyhttp://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2007/September/21090701.asp - Biofuels: is the cure worse than the disease? http://tinyurl.com/yq9t8o<http://tinyurl.com/yq9t8o> Companies producing agrichar: - terra preta at ...
  Geo-engineering - http://geo-engineering.blogspot.com/ <http://geo-engineering.blogspot.com/>
  I am amazesed at the amount of flack biofuels continually  attaract

  Ron the radio was a gentelmean saying how terible growing these s"uper-weeds" would be.

  Surely it's not an oil company conspiracy?
  They must see the writing on the wall surely?

  Biofuels have to be part of the future energy mix.

  -- 
  Michael the Archangel

  "You can fix all the world's problems in a garden. . . . 
  Most people don't know that"
  FROM
  http://www.blog.thesietch.org/wp-content/permaculture.swf<http://www.blog.thesietch.org/wp-content/permaculture.swf> 
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